Chapters:

After dinner that night, the four new Guardians were
laid down in beds in North's workshop while the older Guardians
talked. Rapunzel and Jack fell asleep easily. Hiccup settled into
a few nightmares, but managed to stay asleep, only tossing and
mumbling something every once in a while. Merida fell asleep but
couldn't stay that way. She woke with a start in a cold sweat
after a nightmare about being attacked by something in the middle
of the woods. She'd been lying flat on her stomach, defenceless
and helpless as whatever it was tore away at her.

She couldn't bear to stay in the room any longer, so
she crept to the stairwell and listened carefully to what the
older Guardians were talking about.

"They're all so young!" said Tooth. "What do you
think happened to them?"

"Well, Jack was soaking wet. Maybe he drowned," said
North. Merida realized in alarm that they were saying that they
were all dead. She needed more info, so she kept quiet and out of
sight.

"That fireball grumby's dress was all torn up and
bloody. Wonder what happened to her," said Bunny. He was talking
about her. "And that sunray, her dress was bloody mostly around
the chest. Think she was stabbed?"

"Possibly. But who would murder someone like her in
cold blood like that? You think she ever hurt someone?" asked
Tooth.

"Not on your Nelly. Didn't you say her hair glowed?"
said Bunny.

"Yes, I did. But what does that have to do with it?"

"Maybe whoever stabbed her took her hair when she was
dead for whatever magic it had."

"It's not possible. Once it's cut, she told me it
turns brown and loses its power. Whoever killed her wouldn't be
that stupid, would they?"

They little sandy guy raised a picture of a stop sign
from the gold dust above his head. North sighed.

"Yes, I'd say it's time we dropped this train of
conversation. Let's get down to business. What are their scepters
of the seasons? What channels their powers?"

"For Rapunzel, I'm not sure. I'd say her hair, but
Pitch couldn't take that from her without it losing all powers,"
said Tooth.

"Well, for my grumby, it's obvious. She can shoot
like a pro and when the arrow leaves her bow it catches fire. If
that boy ain't her scepter, we'll never know what it is," said
Bunny.

Sandy raised an image of Hiccup, then of what looked
to be a dragon. Next, he showed Hiccup riding the dragon, the
sandy wings flapping every once in a while.

"He's a dragon rider?" asked North. Sandy nodded.
"The dragon is obviously the boy's scepter. As for Jack, well I'm
not sure. He never really showed an attraction to an object that
would create a magic effect."

"Tomorrow, we should tell the kids about Pitch and
their scepter and duties as Guardians," said Tooth. The other
Guardians nodded in agreement. They flicked off the lights in the
room as they left through a door on the opposite side of the room
from Merida. Just as Bunny was about to shut the door, he looked
over at Merida and gave her a thumbs up. The door shut and the
room became dark.

Merida kept getting the feeling like something was
breathing down her neck. She needed light. She concentrated on
the comforting blaze of a fire and her palm instantly burst
flames. It didn't even hurt her to have fire that close to her
palm.

My little fire princess, said the voice of a
woman in her mind. The woman had a Scottish accent like she did
and her voice was familiar, although from where she didn't know.
Merida went over to the window and opened it, careful not to
light it on fire as she did so. She longed to fly out the window
and dance in the water of the Fire Falls. She didn't remember
much about her past, just little flitting images and voices,
scenes she couldn't quite grasp. Fire Falls and archery were the
only things that stood out in her mind as important things from
her past.

She didn't know how to fly, but she imagined it was a
bit like being like smoke. Floating slowly but surely away from
the dancing tongues of flame. She closed her eyes and imagined
herself rising slowly like smoke. As soon as she'd done that, she
felt herself float off the floor. She opened her eyes. She was
almost out the window. She'd never been afraid of heights which
was good considering the fact that she knew she had a long way to
fly. She leaned forward and she swooped out the window. Although
she was in Russia, the roar of the falls was strong in her mind,
leading over miles and miles of mountains and plains and
countryside homes. She flew over Germany, France, England, and
landed down in Scotland. She knew this country well, obviously
because she was from there. She swooped over villages and a few
castles (one of them beckoning to her as though it were a dear
friend) and miles of wood until she reached a cliffside with a
waterfall spouting down the side. One rocky ledge nearby was
familiar to her. She remembered climbing it. She landed on the
ledge and breathed in the clean woodsy air. She cupped her hands
under the water and gulped up the little handful of water she'd
managed to catch.

She smiled and laughed excitedly. Then, as though
she'd been possessed by a spirit, she began to dance. She danced
and danced and danced for hours until she couldn't dance anymore.
By the end she was so exhausted that she just decided to go onto
the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she felt
right away that something was wrong. She whipped her head either
way, looking for the source of her discomfort. She found it. It
was a little wooden cross stuck into the ground not far from her
feet. There was a name carved in it. She stepped forward and was
about to read it when she heard a scream above her.

She looked up and barely had enough time to react
before Hiccup came tumbling down into her arms, knocking her off
her feet. She lay there, dazed and moaning, Hiccup splayed out on
top of her. She could see the dragon from Sandy's sand picture
slowly descend next to them. Hiccup got up and put his hand to
his forehead. Then he helped Merida up.

"I am so sorry!" apologized Hiccup as Merida brushed
off her skirt.

"What happened?" asked Merida. Hiccup gave a nervous
laugh.

"I kind of fell off of Toothless," said Hiccup,
staring at the ground sheepishly.

"The dragon's name is Toothless? Why did you name him
that?" asked Merida, cocking an eyebrow.

"Because the first time I saw his mouth, I thought he
didn't have teeth."

"Thought?"

"Oh, he has teeth. They're just retractable. Kind of
like...cat claws."

"So, how'd you fall off?"

"Wire snapped. The harness disconnected from the
saddle. I'll have to fix it later."

"I get that a lot. Not a lot of people actually think
I can do anything. All because I can't really carry a heavy
blade."

"What does blades have to do with anything?"

"I came from a Viking town. Blades and strength are
everything to Vikings. I wasn't strong or talented with blades."

"Neither was I really. I knew how to use a sword, but
my shot was the best in the whole country."

"I take it you mean this country. You seem pretty
comfortable over here."

"Yeah. These are the Fire Falls. Fitting that I
should like it here, considering..." Merida got a blaze started
on her palm. Hiccup gasped and backed up into a tree. She thought
it was out of shock, but there was another look in his eyes.
Merida rather thought it was fear. She put out the blaze and
looked at him in confusion. What was he scared of.

Hiccup cleared his throat and moved away from the
tree. He looked around for a distraction from what had just
happened. His eyes settled on the cross a few feet away. "Hey,
you were looking at this when I fell on you."

"Oh, yes. I was just about to see what it..." She
read the name and her blood went cold. It read Merida,
Princess of Dun Broch. Archer, Daughter, Friend. R.I.P.
"...says."

"What's wrong?" asked Hiccup.

"That's my name," said Merida, pale as death.

"Well, it can't be you, because you're standing right
in front of me," said Hiccup, trying for a reassuring voice.

"Hiccup, I was eavesdropping on the other Guardians
earlier. They were talking about the clothes we got our training
in. You know, the ones that were burnt and torn and wet and
bloody? They said that...that they told how we died."

Hiccup's blood seemed to have drained from his body.
"Died?" squeaked Hiccup.

Hiccup seemed to have nodded, although Merida
couldn't be sure or if it was more of a mechanism to stop
choking. Toothless seemed to be aware of what was going on. He
nudged Hiccup. Hiccup climbed on Toothless, but his movements
were robotic, like he was simply going through the motions.
Merida climbed up behind him. Then she remembered why Hiccup had
fallen on her in the first place before Toothless could lift off,
Merida got off.

"Hiccup, the harness can't attach to the saddle. If
we ride, we'll fall off," said Merida.

"Oh, right..." said Hiccup, climbing off like he'd
just woken up, even wobbling around when he hit the ground.

"Hiccup, I'm sorry that I told you what the Guardians
said," said Merida, putting her hand under his chin and tilting
his head up. "It doesn't matter if we died before Hiccup,
everything's alright. We'll get answers from the Guardians
tomorrow. Everything will be fine."

Merida wasn't expecting it at all, but Hiccup took a
step forward and wrapped his arms around Merida. Merida stood in
shock for a second, and then she wrapped her arms around him as
well.

"It's not that. I get the weird feeling I had to
redeem myself for something," said Hiccup. "Now I'll never know
what it was I did wrong."

"We'll find out. I swear I'll make it my personal
mission." Merida felt a drop land on her shoulder and reached up
to wipe away his tears, only to poke him in the eye.

"Ow! What the heck?" said Hiccup, rubbing his eye.

Merida let go and backed up. She held her hands up in
the defensive position. "I didn't mean to!"

"I totally believe you. Moment's ruined. Okay. How
are we going to get back to Russia?" asked Hiccup, still rubbing
his eye.

"I can fly. I think I could carry you," said Merida.
She picked him up with ease.

"I'm going to have to punch a hole through a wall to
feel manly again after this is over."

"If you can." Merida laughed and they took to the
sky, Toothless following close behind.

It was dawn by the time they got back. They dove into
their beds just as the Guardians opened the door to wake everyone
up.